Pictures of the mythical Pagani Zonda R have been floating around for some time now, but I was hesitant to post them because they seemed to be just that: mythical, made up of mostly renderings and drawings.
Well thankfully, the Pagani Zonda R is very real and very worthy of its mythical status, and is set to tear up a track near you in the very near future.
Based on the already potent Pagani Zonda F, but with only about 10% carried over from the street going version, the Zonda R manages to improve on every area of the car. With 6.0 liters of Mercedes-Benz V12 on tap producing 750hp and 710Nm of torque, the 2,359 lb race car gets to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds, and tops out at a mind numbingly fast 233 mph.
If you can see it, it’s either been stripped down, made of carbon fiber, or eliminated, and everything is designed for one goal: Going fast enough to outrun death itself.
Speed and exclusivity definitely don’t come cheap however, as buyers of this ultra-rare uber-car will need to shell out nearly $2 million for the privilege, but if you’ve got the cash, I can’t think of a better way to spend it.
With enough motivation (and time, money and beer), you can turn just about any car into the car of your dreams.
For Fourdin Auto Sport out of Belgium, that meant taking the 550hp, 7.0L LS7 V8 out of a Corvette Z06 and shoving it between the frame rails of a Chevy Matiz.
13 months and 1,500 man hours later, they ended up with the car you see before you, a pure-bred race car that will reach 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 162 mph. (For comparison, the stock Matiz takes 22 seconds to get to 60, and triple digit top speeds are out of the question without a long downhill road and a bit of a tail wind.)
Besides the engine, obvious modifications include a full roll cage, a SUPER wide-body kit, new suspension, wheels and tires, and a wing out back to keep the tail end planted on the track.
It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when you dare to dream, the results of that dream can often come in the strangest of packages.
The 911 GT3 RSR is what happens when Porsche puts no limits on the things it can do in the name of speed.
Designed to be a pure race car, and built to run in the American Le Mans Series, the Nurburgring 24 Hours, and the GT2 class at international long distance races, it’s based very loosely on the 911, though you won’t find many parts in the GT3 RSR that you could swap between it and the 911s you see prowling the golf course.
Seriously though, when changes from the previous GT3 RSR include “a lighter wiring harness to further improve handling” you know things have gone from intensive to excessive.
The 4.0-liter, six-cylinder boxer engine makes 450 hp at 7,800 rpm up to a redline of 9,000 rpm, and a new multi-funciton display located above the dashboard indicates the optimum moment to change gears, if you can’t already tell from the engine screaming at you 9,000 times per minute.
Want to talk tricks?
How about a programmable multi-function, onboard supply system control device, giving teams the choice of many individual functions, including an infinitely adjustable blinking frequency of the lights in the front apron, which helps to immediately recognize race cars when they enter the pits in the dark. For easier service under race conditions, the car even features an air-jack system with overpressure valve to life it in a pinch.
Only 20 of the new GT3 RSRs will be built, but at a price of $500,000, it shouldn’t be surprising why. Speed costs, and in the case of the GT3 RSR, you’re buying quite a bit of it.
Being all-electric didn’t stopped BRABUS from getting their tuner hands on the new Tesla, but is did stopped them from making changes to the drivetrain, suspension, or even a majority of the body panels.
Instead what they focused on was gadgets and gizmos to add to the already gadget and gizmo filled ride.
Changes include a “space sound generator” that gives you the sound of a simulated V8, simulated race car, or two “futuristic soundscapes” named ‘Beam’ and ‘Warp’ when you mash the go pedal, “space lights” (better known as an underbody kit), a new rear spoiler and rear diffuser, front lip and integrated daytime running lights (stolen from Audi), and a custom-tailored BRABUS interior and tire/wheel combo.
Apparently BRABUS felt that the Tesla was some sort of sacred ground, because this is definitely the lightest hand they’ve touched any car with, but hey, at least it’s a start.
Spyker’s C8 Laviolette LM85 is based on their GT2R race car that’s based on their C8 Laviolette, and despite a strange heritage, this looks like one rad ride.
Featuring a 4.2-liter Audi V8 that produces 400 horsepower, a 6-speed manual feeds that power to the black powder coated alloy wheels, which are then stopped (when needed) [...]
If you’re looking to get into motorsports without getting into a second mortgage, then check out Motive’s feature called, Cheap Thrills: A Poor Man’s Guide To Getting Started In Amateur Motorsprots.
The goal is to get you going without getting you in debt, and out of the stands and into a race car, even if that [...]
